Committee Votes to Advance NASA Head Confirmation to Full Senate

Members say the Shift4 CEO has committed to keeping NASA’s lunar ambitions on track despite expressing aims to land humans on Mars.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

Senators vote to advance the confirmation of Shift4 Payments CEO and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead NASA. [Courtesy: NASA live stream]

Key Takeaways:

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced Jared Isaacman's nomination for NASA administrator to the full Senate, with a 19-9 vote largely split along partisan lines.
Isaacman committed to continuing the Artemis moon mission and federal laws directing the moon as a "stepping stone" to Mars, while ultimately prioritizing sending American astronauts to Mars.
He expressed strong opposition to the Trump administration's proposed 50% cut to NASA's science budget, advocating for robust investment across all science disciplines and supporting the commercial sector for future launch vehicles.

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The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Wednesday voted to advance the confirmation of Shift4 Payments CEO and private astronaut Jared Isaacman—President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator—to the full Senate.

Isaacman’s confirmation was reported favorably after a 19-9 committee vote, with all “no” votes coming from Democrats. The partisan divide is notable, considering Isaacman has donated to both Democratic and Republican efforts and was grilled by Senators from both parties about his plans for the moon and Mars—and his ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk—during a hearing earlier in April.